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A review by rachelagain
How to Survive a Plague: The Story of How Activists and Scientists Tamed AIDS by David France
5.0
A detailed, reflective history of the journey from the first cases of AIDs in 1981 to the introduction of antiviral medication in the mid-nineties. I found this book a challenging but rewarding read during our current pandemic. It provided insight into the activism of ACT UP (including prominent figures like Larry Kramer and Maxine Wolfe), the passivity of the Reagan administration, the young Dr Fauci, and the legacies of many AIDS victims who didn't live to read this book.
France handles the dual roles of witness and narrator well and by the end of the book, it becomes clear where his own view shapes the telling of the story (this is most obvious in the descriptions of ACT UP's internecine conflicts). This doesn't take away from the book, it simply makes the case for reading the books of other protagonists in the ACT UP and AIDS activism story.
France handles the dual roles of witness and narrator well and by the end of the book, it becomes clear where his own view shapes the telling of the story (this is most obvious in the descriptions of ACT UP's internecine conflicts). This doesn't take away from the book, it simply makes the case for reading the books of other protagonists in the ACT UP and AIDS activism story.